![]() I’m pleasantly surprised by how well these old tunes fit into the record. These songs are heavily indebted to Show No Mercy, especially the downright riotous “Witches Hammer,” which was clearly inspired by “Black Magic” and has a nearly anthemic chorus replete with classic 80s metal lyrics. They’re not bonus tracks but a true part of the record, sandwiched neatly between four new songs on the front end and the grand finale of “Nine Pillars.” They work marvellously in the context of Damnation is My Salvation, and it sounds like Witches Hammer have made a legitimate continuation of their early sound. I say “current direction” because Witches Hammer rerecorded three old tunes (“Frozen God,” “Witches Hammer,” and “Deadly Mantis”) for this album. If it’s fast, memorable, and heavy, Witches Hammer will stir it into the cauldron.ĭamnation Is My Salvation by Witches Hammer This is what I like about the current direction of Witches Hammer – it’s extreme music which liberally pulls ideas, riffing styles, and devices from other extreme bands without isolating or restricting itself to a specific subgenre yet remains speed metal at its core. Compositionally, it’s not disjointed and transitions back into the “main” part of the song seamlessly. The midsection practically crams another song in there, with a bass solo and some great lead guitar work. The title track rips through the type of speed metal that makes Deathhammer tick: that glorious, hyper-aggressive 80s sound where the lines between thrash, speed, and black metal were still being drawn. The riffing develops and improves throughout the song, and the drumming keeps the intensity up while not becoming percussive wallpaper. This changes quickly into something akin to Malicious Intent on (more) speed, although Rayy Crude’s vocals have a blackened edge that wasn’t there on the early material. When “Across Azeroth” opens the record, we’re hit with a barrage of blasts and speedy riffing informed by war metal. I’ll spoil it now: Witches Hammer delivers. Now, adorned with the best cover I’ll see all year (definitely “blind buy at the record store” material), Witches Hammer have returned with Damnation is My Salvation and, if it does what it promises on the tin, we’re in for some world-destroying speed metal. Shortly after the Hammer hiatus, founding guitarist Marco Banco proceeded to help define war metal as we know it today on Blasphemy’s Fallen Angel of Doom…. They released a few demos and an EP in the mid-to-late 80s (all killer), and then went away. 2020 brings us a blistering reminder of Canada’s importance to speed 1 in the form of reactivated British Columbia speed metal band Witches Hammer. Speed metal and Canada have a happy history together, and the top three connections are probably early Razor, Exciter, and the Banzai Records “Speed Metal” wheel. ![]()
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